(A New distortion has manifested, let us see where this shall lead our heroes shall we?)
Bold = English Conversations
Bold + Italics = Japanese Conversations
Distortion 40
The cafeteria and dining hall of the NOL headquarters could be described as anything but barren. Bullet couldn't help but find it strange that she would be seated in such a room in all of her life. The cafeteria was simply put, a massive room where various long tables were placed with several small seats placed for what must be hundreds, thousands of NOL officials. The temperature in the room was well maintained, various heat and ice ars maguses working in tandem with each other to create the comforting effect she was feeling right now.
Yet at the same time, she couldn't help but feel she was not supposed to be here and no, it's not because she was a mercenary. The room itself felt utilitarian, basic. The room may be spacious and the creature comforts were nice but the room felt cold in general, as if it only served the purpose of feeding the people that were inside their halls and seeing them off. The cafeteria lacked personality would be the best way to describe it in her head but she wouldn't dare to say that right now.
"Well… it's a good thing that the men Kagura has have stationed here are minimal at best. I am surprised that Hibiki is able to keep this place running with so little people." Noel said as Bullet couldn't help but nod her head hearing that. "Hibiki… as in Hibiki Kohaku? The right hand man of the Black Knight?" Bullet questioned. As if on cue, she felt a presence behind her as she turned and had to hold herself back as she instinctively punched at the person who just came from behind.
"Good reflexes. A bit hasty but able to hold back your power at least." A black haired man with a bowl hair cut said as he wore the normal long coat for NOL secretaries said. He had an air of composure about him as Bullet was quick to realize who she was facing off against at that moment. "And you like always being sneaky like this. Hibiki Kohaku?" Bullet questioned as Hibiki simply cleared his throat when he sensed that Bullet was watching him carefully.
"Do not worry, I just happened to be in the general vicinity when I heard my name being called. I couldn't help but be curious." Hibiki said as Bullet simply nodded her head at that, deciding to not be too hasty and not think too much about it. "In that case, Sorry for snapping the way I did, old habit." Bullet said as Hibiki simply smiled and walked away politely. Bullet looked at her fist that nearly struck the man as she knew she sensed it, the sense of secretive blood lust that was coming out of the man.
'Hibiki Kohaku… Just what kind of secrets are you holding underneath.' Bullet thought as Noel tapped on her shoulder. "Is something the matter Miss Bullet?" Noel questioned as Bullet looked at Noel surprised before shaking her head. "N-No… In any case, what does the NOL give to eat." Bullet questioned as since she was here, she might as well see what kind of food the NOL feeds their personnel for herself.
"Oh, today is special. I heard that Hibiki's going to be cooking today." Noel said as Bullet couldn't help but feel surprised upon hearing that. To think that man would be cooking for everyone on this day. "And that is a rarity I am guessing?" Bullet simply said as Noel nodded her head, a small glint in her eyes. "Ooohhh I wanted to go to the back of the Kitchen to see him in action and learn a few things but he insisted that he be left alone while he prepared the food. I wonder why though." Noel said as Bullet for a brief moment thought she saw death flash behind Noel's back.
For some reason, death was not a reaper like she thought but a Kagutuschi Puffer Fish that wore the reaper's robes and it's spikes were scythed shaped. The sensation she felt was brief but something told her to never let this woman near the kitchen without proper supervision lest she be killing everyone. "Maybe the man is a perfectionist and doesn't want to make you feel guilty if you start hindering his work." Bullet quickly said, coming up with a convincing enough reason to make Noel tilt her head for a bit before nodding.
"I guess that's a fair point. I should have been more considerate about that." Noel said as Hunter, who had just been staying quiet and been quietly observing, sighed and placed a hand on Noel's shoulder. "It's alright Noel. Why don't we take our seats as we wait for the others to arrive." Hunter suggested as Bullet couldn't help but wonder about the whereabouts of a certain red skinned individual. "Say, you guys know where the red devil is?" Bullet questioned as Noel looked at Hunter, her face asking the same question to him as he scratched his head.
"W-Well… I don't really know myself but if I have to guess, he's current getting some work done on him. You know… normal maintenance stuff for a big guy like him." Hunter explained as Bullet couldn't help but look down on the ground upon hearing that. 'Getting work done… could he really be?..' Bullet thought as Hunter decided to ask something at that moment. "It sounds like you know the big guy, you a friend or something like that?" Hunter questioned as Bullet looked at him surprised, unsure how to respond as she decided on something vague.
"W-Well… he just looks familiar that's all." Bullet said as Noel and Hunter looked at each other before Hunter simply shrugged at that comment. "Well that is not surprising. I would say a guy like him stands out like a sore thumb with how big he is… though if someone were to look like him… he could pass for someone familiar with the right features." Hunter explained as Bullet decided to simply nod her head at that comment instead of saying anything, letting the man be satisfied with his answer to her.
"If that satisfies your answer, let's sit our asses down and wait for our food to arrive." Hunter said as Noel and Bullet noticed a small bit of drool pop out of his mouth, something to suggest that he was hungry. Taking as their cue to just sit down and enjoy themselves, the trio sat down and waited for the food to come. It was at this time the cafeteria door and a new group of people would come in at this time.
"Finally, time to get some grub." Kagura said as he was the first to enter the room, hands high up in the air as he stretched for a bit. "Did Hibiki at least make some silvervine for his menu?" Kokonoe asked as Noel smiled and waved her hand towards the duo. "Professor! Mister Kagura!" Noel said ass Kagura's eyes shined at that moment and he quickly approached Noel at that moment. "Ahhh, to hear your voice Noel. Truly it brings a sense of happiness to my cor…." before he could finish his sentence, Hunter immediately leapt out of his table and had gotten Kagura in a chokehold.
"How many times must I tell you… TO NOT HIT ON ONE'S GIRLFRIEND!" as Hunter followed it up with a chokeslam through the table to soften the damage Kagura would suffer. Noel was shocked by such a display but was immediately stopped by Kokonoe when she tried to intervene. "Don't worry about the man. He will live." Kokonoe simply said as Noel looked at the sight before simply nodding her head at that,
Kokonoe's eyes then went towards Bullet as Bullet herself felt the urge to speak to Kokonoe at that moment but felt that now was not the right time. If she were to ask something now and she caused a scene, she may cause more problems for the two people that she was with at that moment. As much as she wanted her answers right now, she had to be patient and take her time with things. "May I sit next to you?" Kokonoe questioned as Bullet simply looked at the seat that was empty next to her and could allow her to sit down next to her.
"Sure." Bullet simply said as Kokonoe took her seat next to Bullet. Hunter meanwhile dragged a dizzy Kagura to his seat and sat him next to him and making sure that he was unable to look at Noel in any way. "So where's our guests professor? They not going to be joining us for lunch?" Hunter questioned as if on cue, Amy entered the room at that moment, grabbing the attention of the people in the room as she sat right in front of Hunter Long.
"The others will be joining us shortly. Let's just wait for Hibiki to finish up the dishes and we can start eating." Kokonoe said as that was enough to give a satisfactory answer to Noel and Hunter. "Oh I can't wait, I am just starving right now." Hunter said as his mouth began to drool at that moment. "Maybe...control...that mouth of yours...Hunter Long." Kagura said, his eyes spinning as he was simply dizzy at that moment.
It was at that moment the cafeteria door was opened again, Sora standing out in the front door. He was just walking around the NOL base for a bit to see what it looked like and had just stumbled himself upon the cafeteria. "Oh sorry. Don't mind me." Sora said as he was about to leave the cafeteria to continue exploring only for the door to stop itself from closing, Amy standing at the other side as Sora sweated at the sight.
"Amy...why do you have the face of a serial killer." Sora asked, both tense at the sudden moves Amy did and also unintentionally, a bit of comedy as Amy simply smiled and opened the door wide for Sora to get shoved in. "Come on Sora, there's no need to be shy. Join us for lunch please." Any said as she did this hoping to minimize the damage the error would do if he was nearby her rather than being allowed to do his own thing. For the safety of everyone in this world.
Everyone else in the room could see that Sora was being dragged to have lunch with them at that moment. Sora looked at the group before taking a deep breath. "I guess a small bite wouldn't hurt." Sora said modestly as the rest looked at him before nodding their heads at him, as if agreeing with what he said at that moment as Amy smiled and escorted him to a seat, sitting him right next to her as he couldn't help but feel the eyes of the table stare right at him.
The first thing that they were drawn towards was not his facial features but the prototype Rev Arm that he was currently using as he couldn't help but raise it up for everyone else to see. "That's Caroline's prototype arm… now that I think about it, one of the requests you guys made was for the Rev Arm." Kokonoe said as Sora was shocked to hear that question as he had asked for the Rev Arm out of instinct to see if Caroline still had it or not.
"W-Well...I mean… I heard about it and was just curious about it. I would have returned it at the end but Caroline has decided to pass it to me." Sora explained as Kokonoe nodded her head at that. "Good, I hope that she is able to finally move on from that crazy project of hers." Kokonoe said as she took a sip of what looked like to be coffee, given lots of sugar as Sora could literally smell the sweetness of the coffee waffing towards him at that moment.
'I can start to see why Caroline hates her to an extent in my timeline.' Sora thought as he looked at the group in front of him and couldn't help but ask something that he noticed. "Ummm where's,!" before he finished his sentence, he immediately stopped what he was going to say. He was going to originally ask about the whereabouts of Makoto and Tsubaki but not did he realize that asking about Makoto and Tsubaki may raise suspicion towards him, Makoto at this point did not exist in this timeline and he was about to ask about a total stranger.
"Ummm… where's what?" Hunter asked as Sora sweated a bit, wondering what he should ask as his eyes scanned the table quickly before he grabbed a toothpick tray. "Ahhh, I was looking for the toothpicks holder. Got something I wanted to clean from my teeth is all." Sora said as he picked off some dirt from his teeth, hoping that what he said would be enough to draw attention away from him. While some eyes remained on him for his weirdness, it felt like he was in the clear at that moment.
"Are you..alright there man? You sweating a bit on the forehead." Hunter said, pointing towards the sweat beads that were forming on Sora's forehead as he realized what he was talking about and quickly wiped away the sweat that had formed as a result. "Y-yeah… sorry, still slowly waking up I guess. A bit scatterbrained." Sora said as Hunter felt a punch go towards his shoulder from Noel. "Come on Hunty, there's no need to go interrogating people." Noel said as Hunter looked at Noel before looking back at Sora before sighing.
"Sorry about that… I cannot help but shake off old habits is all." Hunter said as Sora couldn't help but feel a strange sense of weirdness talking to Hunter and Noel in such a manner. Here he was, talking to two people that should be his friends yet at the same time, they are treating him like he is a nobody in general, someone they just met, strangers in general. Yet at the same time, here he was, knowing very well the people in front of him and their pasts.
His eyes were in particular focused on Hunter Long, the man his life was sacrificed to save. According to Amy, if his memory was correct, every possibility that Hunter had before was to die at Kagutsuchi. The only to prevent his death and allow for the flow of the world to return was for a sacrifice to be made, that sacrifice being Sora himself. Sora did not feel any kind of hatred for Hunter, in fact, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief to see him alive and well. It was the method the world used to bring him back that he had issues with.
"I don't really blame you… it is hard to change sometimes." Sora said, as if to show he understands Hunter's plight to an extent as Hunter smiled and nodded his head at that. "Well, let's hope that the lunch Hibiki is cooking for us will satisfy that sleepiness of yours. Oh speak of the devil." As soon as Hunter mentioned the cooking of Hibiki, Hibiki was ready to present those seated at the table the goods. "Sorry for the wait everyone. I hope you all enjoy." Hibiki said as slowly one by one, various plates of food were placed in front of them.
From various cooked types of meats like medium rare steaks and cooked salmon, to simple yet complex dishes like spaghetti marinara and Chinese fried rice, Hibiki Kohaku seems to be a man who can do many while seeming quiet. Everyone stared at the plate of food in front of them, patiently waiting for Hibiki to finish placing the food in front of them as he smiled. "Thank you for your patience, I hope you all enjoy your meal, especially our guests who are with us right now." Hibiki said as Hunter grinned and took that as his chance to lunge and grab the food in front of him.
Sora watched as Hunter grabbed a good spoonful of the fried rice and stabbed onto the steak with a fork, placing them on his plate with a grin on his face. Noel looked indecisive as she wanted to pick the dish in front of her that tasted the most delicious. Kokonoe, being a scientist, saw food not as pleasure but fuel as she grabbed a bunch of dishes based on their nutritional value and placed them on her plate. Amy scratched her head as she tried to modestly pick out a decent spread to show that she was a decent guest.
Bullet herself was going for most of the food in front of her, not being picky with what she ate as Kagura was just happy to sit back and watch everyone eat the cooking of his secretary, everyone except Sora who was just watching as Kagura couldn't help himself. "You know, Hibiki really worked hard to make this meal for everyone, the least you can do is sample some of the food you know." Kagura teased as he reached out for a flask inside his coat only to get his ear pinched by Hibiki at that moment.
"I would appreciate you do not go teasing our guests with such carelessness. And also refrain from drinking your Tequila so freely without eating something." Hibiki said as Kagura wanted to argue against Hibiki's mothering technique but couldn't as he sighed and obliged, sitting down sober as he couldn't help but cry a little at the opportunity to drink being denied from him. "But as the colonel says, you should help yourself to something. There's no need to be shy Mister Sora."
Sora simply nodded his head upon hearing that, deciding that he may be being a bit too shy at the moment. It was not only drawing some attention towards his way but also making him look suspicious. He should at the very least try to relax and not overexert himself at that moment as he grabbed a slice of the salmon for him to try along with some of the roast vegetables that was left alone by the majority of the people of the table, Making Hibiki smile to see his food being sampled evenly.
The first thing Sora tasted was the careful balance the chef had in ensuring the food was well seasoned and flavored based on what kind of dish he was serving. For the roast vegetables, besides the salt that should have been used, a small dash of garlic powder and chicken stock cube were used to add additional flavor without being overpowering and the salmon was cooked with a broiling method after being glazed with teriyaki sauce to add both a taste of saltiness and sweetness to compliment the fatty salmon that was in his mouth.
"You had a lot of practice with cooking Hibiki?" Sora questioned as he couldn't help but be curious as he nodded his head. "To be my lord's secretary, it is imperative that I master the art of the kitchen to be able to concoct various dishes that are beneficial to his health. If I do not make such healthy meals, he would be gorging himself on caloric foods like burgers and fries on a constant basis." Hibiki said as Kagura couldn't help but feel offended at that moment, standing up to look at Hibiki in rebellion.
"Hey I know how to have a healthy and balanced diet you know… I just like to spice it up with Tequila occasionally." Kagura said as Hibiki sighed and shook his head, "Thus my point on me watching out on your personal health. But enough about you and me, please continue sampling the food please." Hibiki said as Sora simply nodded his head, feeling comfortable enough to accept the offer without much question as he slowly chose more food options.
As Sora helped himself on the food, Bullet ate her meal in silence. Her mind was on other things as she reached out for the roast beef to get another slice. As she did so, another pair of utensils was coming her way as she turned to see it was Professor Kokonoe, reaching out for the silver vine dish that Hibiki had kindly prepared for her. "Sorry about that. You first." Kokonoe said as while she may be a scientist, she was not deprived of proper table manners.
"Thank you." Bullet said as she stabbed her fork on the roast beef and slowly brought it back to her plate. As she was about to place it on her plate, Kokonoe reached out for her plate of silver vine at that moment to get a meal and at the same time, leaning in closer to Bullet at that moment. "We will talk soon...this I promise you… Bullet." Kokonoe said as Bullet's eyes widened at that moment. The professor knows who she was? Then following Sora and Amy was probably the best decision she has made yet.
Bullet chose to say nothing at that moment, were she to express her nervousness upon learning the truth she would mess everything up for those around her. She couldn't help but wonder if the fact that Kokonoe was approaching her like this that Sora and Amy were done with what they were asking the professor? These thoughts continued to pour around her mind as she continued to eat in silence.
As everyone ate their meals, Amy continued to scan the room and observed for anything off about the timeline. The damage Sora may have done must have not yet shown itself but that did not mean she should be slacking on her duties. Once Sora gets everything from Kokonoe about what he is thinking she will drag him to the nearest cauldron and yeet him through it to get him back to his timeline to right some wrongs.
"Ummm Miss Amy? Are you alright." Noel said as her hand reached out to try and tap Amy on the shoulder, Amy, startled by the voice instinctively pulled back, her hand slightly grazing on Noel's as she froze for a bit. Amy looked at where Noel had touched her and froze. 'Shit… the eye of the Azure.' Amy thought as she remembered Es warning her to be careful about the Eye of the Azure and especially about letting her either observe her too closely or touching her in any case.
"Is something the matter Noellie? You look a bit pale." Hunter said as he instinctively placed the back of his hand on Noel's forehead to check for a fever. This was enough to make Noel blush as she shook her head. "I'm...I'm alright Hunty. Don't worry. I was just thinking about something is all." Noel said as she shook her head and focused on the food in front of her. As she did so, her eyes landed right back at Amy.
"Miss Amy, if you don't mind me asking something." Noel said as Amy gulped. She could feel sweat form at the back of her neck as she wondered what kind of question Noel was going to ask at that moment. "What do you think of the food Mister Hibiki prepared for us?" Noel asked a simple ice breaker question. Noel pushed the thing she briefly saw to the back of her head as she figured she might as well try to get to know people better. Maybe it's because she was missing her friend and was feeling lonely, but Noel couldn't help but pop the question at that moment towards Amy.
Amy took a small deep breath inside as she was glad it was a simple icebreaker question and not something more pressing. "Hehe, the food is wonderful. I rarely get to eat such meals like this regularly." Amy said as Noel looked at her with some curiosity. "You don't cook much?" Hunter questioned as Amy shook her head. "I never really get the chance to do so… in fact, most times, I am not at home." Amy replied.
"I see…" Noel said as she nodded her head at that. "Then maybe we should head into the kitchen later and try to make something. I can teach you some basic cooking techniques." As soon as Noel said that, Sora couldn't help but visibly flinch upon hearing that as he had to hold back every urge to retort at that moment. The memories of bearing witness to Noel and her cooking death dinner was enough to trigger him in a severe manner. He had to hold in the urge to rail right into Noel then and there as he took a deep breath before calming down. Drinking some water to show that some food was stuck on his throat.
"S-Sorry about that, just keep going on you guys." Sora said as the rest of the table looked at him at that moment before shrugging their shoulders, accepting what he said without a word and continuing their discussion among themselves. As soon as eyes were off him, he couldn't help but sit back and take in his surroundings once again. He couldn't help but wonder about the world that was created thanks to him being made unexist. And there was one thing that simply crossed his mind at that moment.
...All of the peace in the world will not change his goal of reaching back to Makoto…
SORA POV
As soon as everyone was done eating their meals and left the area, the only people left inside the cafeteria were me, Amy, Kokonoe and Bullet. Everyone else at that point was feeling tired since nightfall was coming around and had decided to go to bed at that moment. I myself was feeling some sense of exhaustion despite taking a nap from my fight with Azrael but I decided to stay around the cafeteria, wondering into the kitchen at that moment.
While the food Hibiki cooked was great, I couldn't help but feel like wanting to have some dessert. I looked at the various options before seeing a couple of chestnuts, some fruits and ice cream. My mind couldn't help but go back to the Academy for a bit where I would see Makoto eat Chestnut parfaits without a care in the world. I smiled at the memory before grabbing the ingredients, figuring I may as well make some chestnut parfaits for everyone.
"What are you doing here Sora?.." Amy said as I turned to see her standing by the kitchen door. "We are about to finish our discussion with the cauldron so if you would come back to the cafeteria…" "Before you say anything, want to help me with something?" I asked, stopping her from finishing her question as she looked at me confused. It was then I tossed at her the bag of chestnuts that I had left inside after taking out some of the chestnuts in the bag.
"Can you crush that? They were running out of chestnuts so I figured I would help finish them off." I asked as she looked at me weirdly. "What… I just felt like making chestnut parfaits is all." I replied as Amy sighed upon hearing that, deciding to do what I just said rather than asking. "What's the point of this meal? Are you not satisfied with what you ate?" Amy questioned as I began to cut the fruit down to manageable bites.
"Don't get me wrong, I am satisfied. Just consider this me wanting to make something...even if it's not actually cooking." Sora said as he himself was not a great baker and thus, this being the only way he can make an edible dessert. "Now are you going to help me crush those chestnuts or not?" I questioned as Amy paused for a bit before grabbing a pestle and mortar and begin smashing the chestnuts to a nice and fine powder.
"Like this?" Amy simply asked as I nodded my head. "You know...for someone who says you don't cook… you understand the idea of a pestle and mortar." I said as Amy visibly flinched for a bit before pausing what she was doing. She took a bit of time to answer to me as her eyes looked around for a bit. "Well… I always wanted to learn how to cook…" Amy said as I couldn't help but become curious about that. She may be my enemy right now but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try to get to know her better… at least better than her being a ghost would let us be.
Sora:So why didn't you?
Amy: Huh?
Sora: Why not learn how to cook? I mean wherever you are living right now is devoid of time right? That means you have all the time in the world to practice your cooking techniques as much as you want.
Amy: Uhhh… There was never a real need for me to learn how to cook being a gatekeeper and all… and not really having any needs to eat.
Sora:… not need to eat? You look human… and not whatever that tiny blond haired girl with the massive sword was.
Amy gave he a subtle reaction when I said that. As she shook her head, she had a bit of a sad look on her face as I wondered what to say next. "Maybe… but my birth… it's complicated." Amy said as I now had even more questions to ask. "What do you mean it's complicated? Didn't you come from a mother and father?" I said, saying something simple and universal but something about that made Amy fidget a little bit as she brought over the pestle with the crushed chestnuts.
"...It's a long story if I tried to explain it to you. And even if I told you, what good will it do for us right now? We are enemies seeking different goals at the end of the day." Amy explained as I felt it. She was trying to give me a reason that was reasonable and logical, thinking that by doing so, I would stop questioning her and get back to the task. Normally I would oblige but at the same time… I didn't feel like doing that this time around.
"We may be enemies but since we are working with each other right now, we may as well try to form a middle ground at the end of the day. There's nothing wrong with that right?" I said as I felt something hit me at the back of my head as I couldn't help but wonder why that sensation struck me at that moment. "So there's no story that deserves to be untold...long or short. You may live a long life but that doesn't mean that every single life should be spent in secrecy." I explained as the sensation struck at the back of my head again.
"Trust me...this one really is a long story. So long in fact we won't have enough time to go through my entire life story up to this point. So can we finish this ice cream you are making and get back to the two ladies waiting for us at this very moment." Amy said as she seemed stubborn in keeping her life a secret to me. While I can understand her reasoning for doing so I couldn't help but sigh a little. "That's fair… but at the very least, want to learn how to hold a knife at least." I said as I noticed a small glint on her eyes.
"...If it will help you prepare what you are making faster I guess I can learn how to use a knife." Amy said as I wondered if this was her going through a Tsundere phase or if it was related to her past. Regardless, I reached out and extended a hand to give her a knife. As I did so, Amy couldn't help but hesitate a little. "Why are you just going to give me a knife like that? You know I can easily kill you at this very moment you know." Amy said as I looked at her for a bit before scratching my head.
"Because even if you have a knife and tried to sneakily kill me, I would still be able to know you are going to try and kill me… and you need me alive in my world to try and kill me then because killing me here will not undo the damage Makoto supposedly done." I said with as much logic I can cram down that statement as Amy looked at me for a bit with a blank look on her face before finally taking the knife out of my hand and going to slice on a piece of strawberry.
"Now hold the knife in your hand and with your free hand, gently hold the item you are about to cut with your fingers facing towards the knife and not perpendicular to it." I explained, even gesturing with my hands for her to understand as she followed my instructions without saying another word, much to my own surprise. We then went on a quiet work like rhythm of knives touching the wooden cutting board and ingredients being prepared.
"Right, time for something a bit special." I said as I grabbed a pan and set it on the cook top, after placing some butter in the pan. I took some of the crushed chestnuts and with some sugar, laid them on top of the butter to let it fry out slightly. This is my first attempt at making a crumble of sorts so I didn't plan on plating this with the ice cream but leave it as a sprinkle of sorts, as a way for me to make sure that if this is a fail, the ice cream itself is not tainted with the mistake.
As I prepared this little decoration, I couldn't help but take a glimpse on Amy again. Seeing her trying to be careful and slice the fruit as small as she could brought a strange sensation to my chest. She was right about a lot of things, such us being enemies with different goals, to how I didn't need to do this kind of stuff if my goal is just to head back home, especially now that the Rev Arm was back in my possession...an inferior version of it at least. But I couldn't help myself, as if there was something deep inside me telling me to take it easy right now… to not rush but instead try to prepare…
...what am I preparing for? I am not certain for myself…
BULLET POV
Here I am… sitting in an NOL cafeteria, waiting for Sora and now Amy to finish doing their thing in front of Kokonoe A Mercury, the woman I have been searching for this whole time. My original goal of finding the person responsible for hiring my old group was in front of me but the words I wanted to say were not coming out… at least not at this very moment while we stared at each other face to face. I did not know how to feel at that moment but I knew I was tense.
Professor Kokonoe however, she didn't say a word. All she did was calmly take a sip out of her coffee and looked back at me. She most likely knew I was tense, looking at her with my eyes like daggers towards her direction. She must know what I am looking for, she did call me out by name so it should be obvious what her mind was thinking. "...Care to explain why you are glaring at me like that professor?" I asked, deciding to be the one to break the ice.
"Oh nothing… I am just wondering how you managed to put the pieces like you have with as little as you had to go through." Kokonoe said as I bit my lips hearing that. "Well it is simple really, I kept my ears open and paid a good sum of money to find out as much as I can about you and your secret businesses professor. I admit, you did well covering your tracks, but life has a way." I retorted as Kokonoe simply shrugged upon hearing that.
"You are persistent, that I can respect. But at the same time, I think you have been wasting your time this whole time." Kokonoe said as I couldn't help but feel my blood boil as I stood up and looked at her, I felt so tempted to punch her at that moment but realized what was going on as I sat back down, taking a deep breath to calm down. "So what do you want with me? The answer should be obvious since I did do my research on you when I saw you." Kokonoe said as I took a deep breath hearing that.
"Tell me professor….the captain… he's alive is he not." I asked as I stared at her directly. Since it's just me and her right now, there's no harm in asking such a question to her right now as I waited patiently for her answer. "That's not up to me to say." Kokonoe replied as that was enough to make me stand up at that moment. I didn't speak as it would be me raising my voice so I decided instead to lean in and make sure she can hear me properly.
"Let me closer to hear you say what you say next… By up to you, do you mean you have the boss's permission to remain quiet?.. or are you trying to keep secrets from me." I said, my voice shaking with anger. Here I was, finally close to learning the truth and this bitch only wants to play dumb with me? I would shout so loud if I could right now but showing anger right now may just summon the others here to restrain me. Kokonoe herself slowly stood up to meet my eyes at that moment.
Kokonoe: What I choose to say and keep secret is up for me to decide. Not you
Bullet: Bullshit… I think you are just trying to play dumb with me right now
Kokonoe: Unless you have proof to back up your claims… I would suggest you lower your tone… Bullet
Bullet:… I may not have proof… and I would be more than happy to beat you up for it… But that would be something the captain would not want me to do.
Kokonoe: Oh? And what would your captain would have wanted you to do...Hmmmm
"… He would have wanted me to be through, find out more details and come back with more information." I said as Kokonoe nodded her head. "And your captain is a wise man. If you can remember such a thing about the man that says something about his character." Kokonoe said as she leaned back in towards me. "So I would recommend to you… drop everything you are investigating about the case. Move on with your life and let the dead rest." Kokonoe continued as she said it straight to my face as I felt my blood go cold at that moment. I felt the urge to just lunge at her for saying such a thing but I kept my calm and instead took a deep breath.
"I will not do such a thing… Not until I know everything I need to know… that includes your dealings with the captain Kokonoe…" I said, leaning back to my chair as I did not want to make her feel like she was threatened at that moment. "And what happens if I don't tell you what you want to know…"Kokonoe asked as she did the same, leaning back on her chair as our eyes were locked onto each other, the tension in the air being palpable as I took a deep breath and said my next words clearly for her to say.
"...Then I will make sure your life and the work you have put in is in the same place where my company lies…"
GREETINGS LOST SHEEP OF FANFICTION!? HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING ON THIS FINE DAY!? I myself have been doing well. Life has been good and finally, finally life seems to be returning to normal. 2 years of a pandemic does stuff to society but it truly looks like we are going to be returning back to normal. Soon we will be able to say to our kids that we lived through a pandemic. God I am making myself old by talking about stuff that will be irrelevant in a few years but who knows, this would be a good way to know where we came from.
SO WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT!? WHAT KIND OF CONVERSATIONS WILL BE HAD BY SORA MINAKAZE AND THE PROFESSOR!? WILL HE FINALLY HAVE THE DETAILS HE NEED TO MAKE THE DECISIONS HE NEEDS TO MAKE TO HEAD BACK TO MAKOTO!? AND WHAT ABOUT BULLET'S OWN GOALS IN THIS WHOLE MESS!? Well, the Distortion shall continue until it is resolved.